Former Wake Forest Football Assistant Coach Bill Hayes Joins Deac2Deac Podcast
9/23/2021 12:00:00 PM | Football
Hayes was one of the first African American coaches in the Atlantic Coast Conference when he became running backs coach at Wake Forest.
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Bill Hayes holds legendary status all across the state of North Carolina. Hayes was a trailblazing figure that paved the way for African American football coaches.
The Durham, NC native, played college football at North Carolina Central. Hayes spent three years with the Eagles between 1961 and 1964. In 1973, Hayes was hired by the Wake Forest head coach Chuck Mills as a running backs coach. Not only was Hayes the first African American coach at Wake Forest, he was one of the first African American coaches in all of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Hayes spent two years with the Demon Deacons before becoming a head coach just across town at Winston-Salem State. During an 11 year stint with the Rams, Hayes amassed three Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championships and five CIAA divisional triumphs. In 1978, Hayes led the Rams to the NCAA Division II playoffs, losing in the semi-finals.
Following the 1987 season, in which Hayes led the Rams to an NCAA Division II quarterfinal, Hayes left Winston-Salem State and took over as head coach at North Carolina A&T. Hayes would go on to spend 15 years at the helm of the Aggies, compiling an all-time record of 195-104-2. Under his leadership, the Aggies won three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) titles, made two NCAA Division I-AA playoff appearances, and won two Sheridan Broadcasting Network Black College National Championships.
In 2002, Hayes stepped away from coaching to take up an administrative role. Hayes returned to his alma mater, North Carolina Central where he was named Athletic Director. After four years with the Eagles, Hayes became Athletic Director at Florida A&M.
In 2010, Hayes returned to Winston-Salem State as Athletic Director. A position he would hold until his retirement in 2014. During his second stint with the Rams, the football team fell to Valdosta State in the NCAA Division II championship game.
Hayes has been inducted into the North Carolina Central Athletic Hall of Fame, the Winston-Salem State Clarence Athletic Hall of Fame, the North Carolina A&T Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Hall of Fame. Hayes has forever etched his legacy on North Carolina college football.
On today's pod, Hayes joins alum Kevin Smith to talk about all things Wake Forest Athletics, his coaching journey, and his success as an Athletic Director.
Listeners are encouraged to send feedback and ideas to smithka@wfu.edu or @Deac2Deac on Twitter.
The Deac2Deac podcast is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube and GoDeacs.com/Watch.
